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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Appersett Viaduct say? "I'm a bridge above the rest.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Appersett Viaduct
A stone viaduct of five arches bridging a minor road (right) and a small valley (left)
Appersett Viaduct
Coordinates54°18′32″N 2°13′20″W / 54.3088°N 2.2223°W / 54.3088; -2.2223
OS grid referenceSD856904
CarriesWensleydale Line
CrossesWiddale Beck
LocaleAppersett, North Yorkshire, England
Other nameAppersett Gill Viaduct
Characteristics
Total length108 yards (99 m)
Height80 feet (24 m)
No. of spans4
History
Construction startNovember 1873
Construction endJune 1878
OpenedAugust 1878
Location
Map
Interactive map of Appersett Viaduct

Appersett Viaduct is a disused railway bridge in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, England. It was opened by the Midland Railway in 1878 as part of their Hawes branch line, later becoming part of the Wensleydale line between Garsdale and Northallerton. The viaduct straddles Widdale Beck, a tributary of the River Ure. The section of line between Hawes and Garsdale was the most heavily engineered of the whole Wensleydale Line, with Appersett Viaduct being viewed as the most dramatic structure along the line. Passenger services along this section of the line ceased in 1959.

History

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Appersett Viaduct was built to carry the Hawes branch line over Widdale Beck (a tributary of the River Ure) and an unclassified road, near to the hamlet of Appersett.[1][2] The viaduct was designed by J. S. Crossley, and curves slightly northwards with a 1-in-72 gradient (westwards) as it crosses the small valley carrying Widdale Beck.[3][4] The viaduct has five arches, each being between 42–45 feet (13–14 m) across, with four piers, and the viaduct is built with ashlar stone with a band of stone jutting out below the coped parapet.[4][3][5] Work on the viaduct started on 28 November 1873, with completion in June 1878,[6] and it was opened to traffic to and from Hawes Junction (now Garsdale) in August 1878.[7] The viaduct is 108 yards (99 m) long, 56 feet (17 m) from water level to the bottom of the arches, and the rails are set at 60 feet (18 m) high.[3][8][i] The viaduct was last used by trains in March 1959.[10]

Appersett viaduct was listed as being 261 miles 30 chains (420.6 km) from London St Pancras (measured via Cudworth and Keighley),[11] which made it 4 miles 63 chains (7.7 km) east of Garsdale, and 1-mile-19-chain (2 km) west of Hawes.[12] The Wensleydale line between Hawes and Northallerton was not as heavily engineered as the Hawes branch, which has two viaducts and one tunnel; the viaduct at Appersett is often labelled as the "finest structure" on the old line.[13] The branch was built as part of Contract No.5 from Hawes Junction station to Hawes itself, and the line opened three years after the main line between Settle and Carlisle. The engineers for the line were Crossley and Story, but records also indicate Benton and Woodiwiss, who undertook many of the works on the Settle–Carlisle line, were actually the resident engineers.[14][15]

Whilst the viaduct does not carry a right of way, it can be viewed easily from the road and nearby paths, and it has been used as an abseiling structure.[8] Although plans have been forwarded many times to reinstate the railway (either as the full Wensleydale line, or simply a 6-mile (9.7 km) branch between Hawes and Garsdale, the rejection of funding during the restore your railways applications prompted the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to remove its protection for the trackbed along the viaduct.[16]

The viaduct is listed as HGE/37 under the list that shows the BRB (Residuary) Ltd.'s (BRBR) railway structures,[17] and it was grade II listed in 1969.[18] Another alternative name for the structure is Appersett Gill Viaduct, which appeared in early newspaper reports about the line, but still occasionally is referred to.[19][20][21] Appersett Gill is known more commonly as Widdale Beck, which enters the River Ure just after flowing through the hamlet of Appersett.[22][23]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Jenkins states that the viaduct is 375 feet (114 m), 50 feet (15 m) more than the stipulated length in most sources.[9]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Goode, C. T. (1980). The Wensleydale Branch. Headington: Oakwood Press. p. 19. ISBN 0-85361-265-X.
  2. ↑ Jenkins, Stanley C (2002) [1993]. The Wensleydale Branch; a new history (2 ed.). Usk: Oakwood Press. p. 147. ISBN 0-85361-587-X.
  3. 1 2 3 Longworth, Andrew (February 2021). "The 'Book of Bridges'". Friends of the Settle – Carlisle Line Journal (163). Settle: Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line: 20. OCLC 863609220.
  4. 1 2 Hatcher, Jane (1990). Richmond Architecture. Richmond: C. J. Hatcher. p. 115. ISBN 0951588001.
  5. ↑ Biddle, Gordon (2003). Britain's historic railway buildings: an Oxford gazetteer of structures and sites. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 425. ISBN 0198662475.
  6. ↑ "Appersett Viaduct | Upper Wensleydale Railway". upperwensleydalerailway.org.uk. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Goode, C. T. (1980). The Wensleydale Branch. Headington: Oakwood Press. p. 8. ISBN 0-85361-265-X.
  8. 1 2 "Appersett Viaduct". forgottenrelics.org. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  9. ↑ Jenkins, Stanley C (2002) [1993]. The Wensleydale Branch; a new history (2 ed.). Usk: Oakwood Press. p. 33. ISBN 0-85361-587-X.
  10. ↑ Welbourn, Nigel (1994). Lost lines; LMR. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 103. ISBN 0-7110-2277-1.
  11. ↑ Kelman, Leanne (2022). Railway Track Diagrams Book 4: Midlands & North West (5 ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. 36. ISBN 978-1-9996271-5-7.
  12. ↑ "HGE mileages; Hawes and Garsdale Line". www.railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Walks: 'Ure' in for a real walking treat". Darlington and Stockton Times. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "How they built the Settle-Carlisle railway: G - Contract 5 | SCRCA". scrca.foscl.org.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  15. ↑ Hallas, C. S. (1991) [1984]. The Wensleydale Railway (2 ed.). Burtersett: Leading Edge. p. 29. ISBN 0-948135-26-3.
  16. ↑ Johnston, Howard (20 April 2022). "Hopes of a revived trans-Pennine rail link diminish". Rail. No. 955. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media. p. 22. ISSN 0953-4563.
  17. ↑ "Deposited paper DEP2008-0475 - Deposited papers - UK Parliament" (Excel spreadsheet). depositedpapers.parliament.uk. Retrieved 23 July 2026. Located at line 2,001
  18. ↑ Historic England. "Appersett Viaduct (Grade II) (1316890)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  19. ↑ Occomore, David (2020). The new railway to Scotland. Kendal: Hayloft Publishing. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-910237-43-4.
  20. ↑ Eaton, Tony (2003). Memories of the Wensleydale Railway. Northallerton: ReCall Publications. p. 96. ISBN 0953633136.
  21. ↑ Mussett, Nigel (2016). "Directory of resources; a listing of printed, audio-visual and other resources including museums, public exhibitions and heritage sites" (PDF). settlecarlisletrust.org.uk. p. 2. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  22. ↑ Leather, David A. (1991). Wensleydale. Otley: Smith Settle. p. 118. ISBN 1870071719.
  23. ↑ Birdsall, James (1998). Yorkshire villages: travels through dales and moors. London: Parkgate. p. 88. ISBN 1855855429.
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